Portable chairs such as lawn chairs are very convenient for barbecues, sporting events, days at the beach, and other outdoor pursuits. Lawn chairs have been improved over the years from a simple folding chair to collapsible camping chairs such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,322,138 to Tang. This newer style of collapsible chair is convenient in that it collapses into a relatively small volume, which facilitates transport and storage. However, the storage sleeve, which is often employed to store and transport this type of collapsible chair is thought, by some, to be unwieldy and difficult to use. Thus, at least one area for improvement of collapsible chairs is a more convenient means for storing and transporting the chair in a stowed or collapsed state.
Other improvements in lawn chair technology include the addition of canopy attachments that provide shade and some protection from rain. U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,432 to Connell describes one example of a canopy attachment for a lawn chair. While this is an improvement over previous lawn chairs that provided no shade, it does not provide a canopy attachable to the latest style of collapsible camping or lawn chair, nor does it collapse sufficiently for convenient storage with newer style chairs.
Furthermore, conventional canopy attachments, such as Connell's, fail to provide a means of adjusting the canopy that is adaptable to protect a user from sunlight and precipitation approaching from various angles. For instance, when visiting the beach, one may prefer to face towards the ocean. Facing the ocean generally causes the Sun's orientation relative to the user to vary over the day. Existing canopies are either unadjustable and thus unable to continuously shade the occupant, or in order to shade the occupant the canopy must be lowered to such an extent that the occupant's view is obstructed. Similarly, sporting events dictate that spectators face towards the field of play regardless of weather conditions, such as rain or sleet. This is particularly inconvenient when the rain or sleet is driven by wind. Thus, it would be advantageous to have the ability to adjust the canopy at compound angles relative to the chair's seat portion so that the occupant is more protected from sun and precipitation while still being able to view his or her surroundings. Accordingly, there is still a need for a collapsible canopy structure and collapsible chair and canopy that provides for versatility of adjustment that as yet has not been provided. There is a further need for a collapsible chair and canopy structure with an improved means of storing and transporting the stowed chair and canopy.